Whatever happened to "Rated X"?
Pictured is what the Motion Pictures Association of America, a.k.a. the MPAA, used to use for its rating system. It's at the bottom. The "X" rating. This is what used to be used before the introduction...
View Articlethe crazy 10-hour vhs format nobody thinks exists
Video Home System, as in VHS, is something I used a lot from the time I was a little kid all the way up until the 2000s. In the early 80s, the family did start off with Betamax, but that didn't last...
View ArticleWho has the best starter guitar pack for beginners?
A starter guitar pack means you get a guitar, an amp, gig bag and accessories, and it's usually all in one box. These packs are designed to give the beginner guitar player everything they need all up...
View ArticleSquier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special SS Guitar Review
New guitar in the barn. This time it's a bass, the Squier Vintage Modified Jaguar Bass Special SS. I don't have a video of it yet, but will eventually get around to that. Update: Made a video demoing...
View Articlewhy do i even own a bass guitar?
Little know fact: I've owned a bass guitar ever since my teens. The Jag SS I just bought is actually my third bass. The first was a black Epiphone P-bass copy that I never learned the model name of,...
View Articleretro pocket radio still available new
Here's my theory when it comes to certain things still for sale that are exactly like they used to be: Certain products can stay stored in a warehouse for a long time and not age. If the product is...
View ArticleRich's movie review of The Usual Suspects
The Usual Suspects is a movie from 1995 that I've been wanting to see for a long time because it had such rave reviews and I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about it. I finally got to watch it...
View Articlei can only handle country music in short bursts
The video at right is "Jerry's Breakdown" and is the first song on the 1972 album Me and Chet. And yes, that album has one of the worst album covers ever, because when you think of Chet Atkins, you...
View Articlethe truth about guitar strings
Most of what guitar players know about guitar strings are "facts" that are either partially true or not true at all. Here are a few of them. "All guitar strings are made by one company" FALSE. There...
View ArticleThe difference between a 2-color and 3-color sunburst guitar finish
Sunburst is a guitar color finish option that's been available for a very long time; it's always been popular because it has a woody/furniture look to it. It's called a sunburst because the middle of...
View Article7 reasons why every metal player should own a Telecaster
Metal players typically get suckered in to buying a lot of worthless crap, and it takes them a good long while before they stop doing that and buy stuff they can actually use. Every metal player needs...
View ArticleAnything over $500 is too much to spend on a guitar for most people
At the time I write this in March 2014, there are a ton of guitars that are priced exactly at $399.99, which basically means $400. When you add in tax and shipping, that usually means you end up...
View ArticleIs the American Special Stratocaster the best Strat Fender makes right now?
If I were in the market for an American Stratocaster right now, my choice would be the Fender American Special Stratocaster in Surf Green, for the following reasons: 6-screw bridge and not the dopey...
View ArticleThere is only one reason I don't buy Chinese Fender copy guitars
Pictured is what's listed as a "Factory Custom Shop Guitar 61 Heavy Relic Guitar Aged Vintage Guitar Faded 3 Tone Sun Set". Yes, guitar is mentioned three times in a row. What you see is a China-copy...
View ArticleIbanez RC365H Roadcore = Cool
The Roadcore Series from Ibanez is a back-to-basics guitar that, amazingly, doesn't look like anything else out there right now. And that's not an easy thing to do, especially when it comes to...
View ArticleBest cheap electric guitars for 2014
My definition of cheap concerning an electric guitar is under $300, and that's in US dollars. When you go over $300, there's not much left to spend on other things (like amps and effects among other...
View ArticleThin vs. thick electric guitar necks
I've talked about scale lengths before. Now it's time to talk about neck thickness. One of the coolest guitars ever is the one pictured above, the Fender Classic Series '70s Stratocaster in black. It...
View Article39
14,246 days ago, I was born. Yeah, that means today is my birthday. I'm now 39. Yee-haw. Rather than talk about my age, I'll instead talk about how things have changed over the years concerning music,...
View Articlehow i deal with florida road rage
Hillsborough Country made the news again. The above is the viral video of the moment, and, of course, it happened in Florida. In the county I live in, Hillsborough. And I know US-41. Been on it many...
View ArticleHow to build an electric guitar the easy way
The term "build a guitar" is a little bit weird because sometimes it involves actual woodworking and other times it does not, so I'm going to cover several build types here. Build Type 1: Everything...
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